Thursday, 27 September 2007

Now....Back to some Bubblegum! And this week's delight is none other than part-Belgian, part-German combo The Daisy Clan! Even though I may say that with a certain degree of conviction, I sadly in fact do not know much about this wonderful group. But I can let the music speak for itself! Well...the record covers tells some of the story anyhow! Included in the package are 10 of their tracks, which is almost all of their recorded output - I think so anyhow! Highlights include the brilliant Billy Vanilly (no relation to Milli Vanilli) and an English language cover of Du Hast Mich by Howard Carpendale. Hope you like them as much as I do!

Thursday, 20 September 2007

Here's a cool find! First a bit of back story.. Firstly in France, a guy called Antoine scored a hit with a record called Les Elucubrations D'Antoine back in 1966. The record upon release stirred up a bit of controversy, in part due to his free flowing locks and a fondness for flowered shirts, but also due to the record's forward comments on social issues such as the pill and imported rock'n'roll ala Johnny Halliday. While artists in his succession tried to emulate his Dylan-esque vibes, he did have his fair share of detractors. In fact he inspired a slew of parody, ....I guess tributes!, that mocked Antoine's forwardness and style. One of these was a guy called Edouard, who responded to Antoine in his song My Name is Edouard, while sporting a knee-length wig and a natty pair of bermuda shorts! All in good sport of course!...maybe! Anyhow here's a vid of said song and le mp3s to match! Also included is a direct parody of Les Elucubrations D'Antoine called coincidently Les Hallucinations d'Edouard.

Sunday, 16 September 2007

Here's a 45 by mystery girl group, Act III, from 1966 and released on Bell subsidiary, Mala records. What makes this an interesting stand out are the people behind it. The A-side, Sweet Anticipation, is produced and arranged by the legendary George "Shadow" Morton. Production credits also go to fellow Shangri-La writer Tony Michaels, who was also their manager before the girls signed to Red Bird and once owned radio station WBAB. Tony and George were also in a group together in Long Island called The Marquees. The two writers are also quite interesting as well! One of them, Erik Darling, was an important player in the folk revival period in the early 60's. The flipside, "I'm Gonna Try and Be Better", is also produced by Morton alongside a Warren Mills and Elliot Sachs. Regrettably I cannot find a single thing about the girls themselves. I was almost excited when I saw the name as there is an all girl band from the late 60's called Act IV, so logically it could have been them sans one member, however the dates don't match up! The record itself is not too spectacular, and slight departure from what you would expect from a "Shadow" Morton girl group ala The Shangri-Las/Nu-Luvs/Pussycats, but it has its charm! The B-side is a bit more rockin', and could sound like it was from an all girl band - ^___^ - Anyhow it is a very interesting piece of history nonetheless! Enjoy!

Monday, 10 September 2007

One of the finest garage acts that came out of the province of Quecbec in the 1960's were a group of guys who called themselves Les Lutins. Forming in 1963 in the town St-Hyacinthe (The Liverpool of Quebec!), the band began performing at various dance venues locally but due to their ages (11-12 at the time) they were unable to break into the industry. However the first grains of success were laid when the band appeared on the radio station CHRS as part as a radiothon along with other groups from the region in December 1964. The following summer the band made more headway, winning a large battle bands contest, in which 36 groups from across Quebec took part. Out of this came the chance to release a record with Laval Records, who sponsored the event. The release went no where and it was just under two years before fate took a positive step.

During this time the band developed their style into one that was influenced by the influx of British mod groups, such as The Who and The Kinks. As a result another release was put out (Je Cherche/Elle n'a rein compris), this time on the newly formed Carrousel records, owned by Roger Valley. Under the wing of Alain Blanchard's sister, Nicole, the group took on a plan to release a single around every three months. The increasing popularity and the constant releases of the group meant that a number of singles remained in high chart positions at the same time. These included Dany, dedicated to singer Dany Aube, and Laissez-nous vivrez.

A collaboration with artist Jacques Michel provided the group with their greatest hit, Monsieur le robot, while their self-titled first album proved a hit also. After a tour, and more singles, their second album Les Lutins en orbite was released with praise given to new guitarist Richard Guillemette, previously of Les Intendents, work on cuts Girl and Les yeux fermes. As 1968 came to a close Simon Brouillard, the singer of the group, left the band in pursuit of a solo career. The group continued on as a four piece, but by the end of the decade the band had parted company.

Tuesday, 4 September 2007

It is with great pleasure and happiness that I present to you....., the Honey Ltd and Eve collection! This special package combines the works of the group primarily known as Honey Ltd, while also covering their foundation as the Mama Cats and their later incarnation as Eve.

Honey Ltd are perhaps one of the last great female vocal groups of the sixties, encompassing dream-like harmonies and song writing to fantastic production and arrangement. ... Of course there's much more to the story!

However the brief version goes something like this...Four girls (Laura, Marsha Jo, Alex and Joan) meet through university. Finding a common passion for singing, they form a band. Next they meet an influential manager from Detroit, christening them the Mama Cats. Much touring ensues and with one single down an eventual move to LA became their next move. One phone call later, and one meeting with a certain Mr. Hazelwood they hit a recording studio. A publicity campaign is launched and singles follow. Unknown to the band, however, a self-titled LP is released on LHI. Eventually Alex leaves the band and Eve is formed. An LP of theirs is released mid 1970. The band moves on but leaves behind a beautiful legacy...

However that is only a very brief brief - so please do read on at Perfect Sound Forever!

It is however, fair to say that the Honey Ltd LP, is very much a rarity - and can fetch up to prices of $2000 - worth it? You betcha! Included in the collection are 23 songs, including the Mama Cats A-side, the Honey Ltd LP, a non LP single, an alternate version of Louie Louie, the Eve LP and a song scored for the Vanishing Point film soundtrack. This won't be available for too long....so grab it while you can!

Saturday, 1 September 2007

Time to get another fix of bubblegum..., and this time its a total sugar high.... with added fuzz!

Café con Leche were two young American kids who released at least two records in Spain in '72/'73. For what reasons and the amountof success the record acheived are unknown, but its great that they did! The Spanish speaking world during the 70's and early 80's seemed to have a thing for groups featuring young members, with artists such as La Pandilla, Los Chicos and Parchis garnering massive success in Spain and Latin America, so I guess this is somehow related to the craze!

The first single the band released was The Bubble Gum Song (nana-nana) which absoultely blistering, just like digging into a big knickerblocker glory - makes you very hungry after listening tho'! The next, Land of Light, manages to do one better and becomes a total fuzz fest. This thing is epic!

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About Me

About this blog?!

Just thought I'd share some of my musical obsessions and points of interest - mainly if not exclusively from the weird and wonderful time otherwise known as the sixties! As the name of the blog suggests this will focus on Bubblegum, but will also cove YeYe, Garage, Beat, Girl Group and my favourite...

*All Girl Bands!! *

mp3s which I do post will only be available for dowloadings for a small amount of time, say a month? I will aim to try and post material not previously available in legit comps but if I do it is for the promotion of the artist. Please contact me if I infringe copyright which you hold. Anyhow thanks for looking and hope you find something interesting!